“I started thinking about how I could reintroduce traditional religious values into this commercial world,” Oynhausen states on his web site.

The figures at present are custom-produced, costing about $190 for almost a quarter pound. Oynhausen expressed hopes of mass producing the product and exporting it for sale in countries such as the U.S.

The German Protestant Church criticized the idea as “tasteless.”

Aegidius Engel, a spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Paderborn, was also critical, saying:

“It is terrible that Jesus is being wrapped up in gold foil and sold along with chocolate bunnies, edible penguins and lollipops.”

“This is ruining the symbol of Jesus himself,” he added, according to Reuters.